Emt to Medic

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word2yamutha

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Well it has only been 2 weeks into the emt-basic program and I was thinking about getting a job as a basic once I completed. So would it be a good idea to finish my basic training and jump straight to medic school or get a job being a basic work for a few months then go to medic school?
 
Either / or. You'll have one group on here saying go straight for it, and another group saying get the experience.



I got my EMT last December and had no inkling to be a medic. Got a job in Feb and worked for a bit (like... 5 shifts little bit), then in April I decided to continue to medic.

My view? If you know you want to continue to medic, then why not do it asap? The experience could help, but it won't make a huge difference, if any at all.
 
I guess it depends on who you ask? I would take some time as an EMT to determine if you enjoy EMS. Medic school can be expensive and investing that money into a field you dont intend to continue in can be costly. Experience wise there are arguments for and against, its up to the individual.
 
Im pretty sure Ill go straight to medic. Theres like 600 hours of clinical time so I think that would be enough time. If I dont like the emt basic clinical hours then I guess I wont go straight to medic school
 
Or pick an in-between route versus going immediately there and putting a good chunk of time in. My recommendation is putting JUST enough time to be comfortable enough on-scene (to run through a decent assessment), UNLESS the medic program you get into accounts for absolutely no field experience which will make a difference when internship starts and with assimilating lecture most efficiently (which is usually given with the idea in mind that you've seen basic shortness of breaths, agitated patients, the non-linearness of real calls, and the general idea of how an EMS shift goes, etc).
 
There are threads about this topic all over this place. Check them out and then share something NEW with us!

Welcome,
 
Work as a basic on an ALS truck while going through medic class to get acquainted with how things on a truck flow, but otherwise it's a waste of time. Go straight to medic class, pass go and collect more than 200 dollars.
 
Linuss said:
Either / or. You'll have one group on here saying go straight for it, and another group saying get the experience.



I got my EMT last December and had no inkling to be a medic. Got a job in Feb and worked for a bit (like... 5 shifts little bit), then in April I decided to continue to medic.

My view? If you know you want to continue to medic, then why not do it asap? The experience could help, but it won't make a huge difference, if any at all.
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I did same as you, I worked a total of about 20 shifts. I knew I wanted to do more. The waiting part was hard, because around here medic schools only start up once a year in the fall. I basically had to wait 8 months.

To the OP, I would make sure this is what you want to do before spending the time doing paramedic. Paramedic is alot and I mean alot more involved than a basic but you will feel more able to actually make a difference.

Regardless of what anyone says, do what you feel is best. Make sure that you can handle the bad stuff.
 
The program I want to get into starts aug 26th and I graduate in may 13 for emt-basic. I figure during months I could work parttime as a basic to see if I want to be in medic school. The only :censored::censored::censored::censored:ty part is the current job I have has benefits and I could only assume the chances of finding a full time basic job would be difficult unless it was in the stl area.
 
I got my emt back in 05. Started working at a private ambulance cmpny. Found out once you get your medic card, you only get a 25 cent raise. WTF?
 
bw3 said:
I got my emt back in 05. Started working at a private ambulance cmpny. Found out once you get your medic card, you only get a 25 cent raise. WTF?
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Not all privates are like that. The service I used to work for you got a $6/hr raise for going from basic to medic. Basic to Intermediate only got $0.50/hr though.
 
bw3 said:
I got my emt back in 05. Started working at a private ambulance cmpny. Found out once you get your medic card, you only get a 25 cent raise. WTF?
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That would also depend on whether you are working as an ALS provider with your Paramedic card. If you are still only working under the scope of EMT on a BLS truck, then don't expect much more pay. But that is the argument in all aspects of EMS right now in the U.S. Even if you have more education, you will still be held to the standards of the lowest denominator. If you have a 2 or 4 year degree in EMS, you will probably be paid the same as the 3 month wonder medic but at least you will have a better understanding of what you are doing for the patient. Once EMS gets its act together across all of the U.S., education may be someday recognized as an asset.

It is also saddening when I hear EMTs saying I have to wait a whole year for a Paramedic program and yet few take advantage of that time to get additional college classes that would make Paramedic school so much easier. Then once in Paramedic school they complain about how hard it is and they must memorize all kinds of stuff whereas if they had taken college classes such as A&P and Pharmacology, there would be an understanding rather than just relying on memorization to regurgitate information on a test.
 
VentMedic said:
That would also depend on whether you are working as an ALS provider with your Paramedic card. If you are still only working under the scope of EMT on a BLS truck, then don't expect much more pay. But that is the argument in all aspects of EMS right now in the U.S. Even if you have more education, you will still be held to the standards of the lowest denominator. If you have a 2 or 4 year degree in EMS, you will probably be paid the same as the 3 month wonder medic but at least you will have a better understanding of what you are doing for the patient. Once EMS gets its act together across all of the U.S., education may be someday recognized as an asset.

It is also saddening when I hear EMTs saying I have to wait a whole year for a Paramedic program and yet few take advantage of that time to get additional college classes that would make Paramedic school so much easier. Then once in Paramedic school they complain about how hard it is and they must memorize all kinds of stuff whereas if they had taken college classes such as A&P and Pharmacology, there would be an understanding rather than just relying on memorization to regurgitate information on a test.
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The company I work for is one of the largest privates in the country. We do ALS, and also run with the FD. We transport 90% of the fire depts calls, the only difference is, they get paid 60,000 a year to respond. We administer care and transport. Our medics get screwed hard by the company, not to mention the fact that our equipment was probably used in the stoneage. Management does not care, they are just in it for the $$$.
 
bw3 said:
The company I work for is one of the largest privates in the country. We do ALS, and also run with the FD. We transport 90% of the fire depts calls, the only difference is, they get paid 60,000 a year to respond. We administer care and transport. Our medics get screwed hard by the company, not to mention the fact that our equipment was probably used in the stoneage. Management does not care, they are just in it for the $$$.
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Sounds like the majority of most big private companies.
 
bw3 said:
The company I work for is one of the largest privates in the country. We do ALS, and also run with the FD. We transport 90% of the fire depts calls, the only difference is, they get paid 60,000 a year to respond. We administer care and transport. Our medics get screwed hard by the company, not to mention the fact that our equipment was probably used in the stoneage. Management does not care, they are just in it for the $$$.
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What are your company's sources of income vs the fire department's? Does AMR get any tax dollars from the community for it's service or do they rely only insurance payments? Is there anything that the employees can do to increase efficiency or cut costs? If your equipment is truely out of date, has anyone done any legwork to present a proposal to management for new equipment?

Also, I'd be very afraid if I worked for a private corporation that didn't care about making money.
 
bw3 said:
The company I work for is one of the largest privates in the country. We do ALS, and also run with the FD. We transport 90% of the fire depts calls, the only difference is, they get paid 60,000 a year to respond. We administer care and transport. Our medics get screwed hard by the company, not to mention the fact that our equipment was probably used in the stoneage. Management does not care, they are just in it for the $$$.
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Are you also a FF and have firefighting duties? The pay quoted for FFs may also be with the addition of their Paramedic cert.

How is the contract set up for billing? What obligations are made of the company under the contract? There are many factors that must be considered and researched before you just whine about your pay.

Healthcare is a business.
 
VentMedic said:
Are you also a FF and have firefighting duties? The pay quoted for FFs may also be with the addition of their Paramedic cert.

How is the contract set up for billing? What obligations are made of the company under the contract? There are many factors that must be considered and researched before you just whine about your pay.

Healthcare is a business.
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I am a FF. They have been cutting units because trip volume is low? With the cut of cars, more units are being late to scheduled trips and pushing some of the contracted facilities to drop our contract. Im not whining about my pay, im frustrated about how this company is operated. Ex. nurse gave us a stat transfer that required the pt. to be placed on a lifepack 12, we carry 10's. She laughed at us and called a different private.
 
bw3 said:
I am a FF. They have been cutting units because trip volume is low? With the cut of cars, more units are being late to scheduled trips and pushing some of the contracted facilities to drop our contract. Im not whining about my pay, im frustrated about how this company is operated. Ex. nurse gave us a stat transfer that required the pt. to be placed on a lifepack 12, we carry 10's. She laughed at us and called a different private.
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Do you work for the FD or the private? If private, is firefighting also in your job description?

If you don't have the equipment promised in the contract, then yes they can give the business to one that does. That is definitely a company issue that should be addressed or it will continue to lose contracts including the one with the FD. The laugh from the RN probably indicated this has happened before and she may have won a bet that you wouldn't show up with everything.
 
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Your on a 911 truck and you are still using lifepack 10 s. What about doing 12 leads?
 
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